Could this new season be your time to explore something new for you?
I do love September, there is still some warmth in the air, the end of the school holidays brings some structure (and sadly more traffic on the commute) and there’s the audible sighs of relief as the kids go back to school or college. The evenings are starting to draw in, the diary resets, and somehow it feels easier to imagine doing something different just for you.
This doesn’t need to be dramatic or a huge life change to make a difference to you. Sometimes it’s just about picking one small thing you’ve been meaning to do, something that’s just for you and doing it. Finding the time, making the commitment and doing something that will bring you joy, improve your skills or boost your wellbeing.
So if you’re wondering where to start, here are ten ideas. Pick one, pick a few, or use this list as a start to create your own.
1. **Attend a Midlife360 workshop.** Come along to one of our sessions and spend a couple of hours in a room full of women who understand exactly what this stage of life feels like. You’ll leave with more than you arrived with.
2. **Explore volunteering** If you’ve got skills sitting idle, Reach Volunteering and Support Cambs matches experienced people with charities that need exactly what you offer and it’s often just a few hours a month. It’s a low-pressure way to try something new, meet people outside your usual circles and learning new skills too.
3. **Look into adult learning.** An evening class, a short course, something entirely unrelated to work or family just remember adult learning isn’t just about qualifications, it’s about reminding yourself that you can still grow.
4. **Work towards a Midlife360 digital badge.** Our digital badges recognise the skills and progress you’re already building, one step at a time. Take a look at what’s available on our website – Region of Learning digital badge for women in midlife and pick a pathway that fits where you are.
5. **Join a new group.** Whether it’s bird watching, reformer Pilates, paddle boarding or your local choir, if you have a passion and want to make time to explore it, is now the time to try it out? There’s real evidence for how good community activity is for your wellbeing and your mood.
6. **Pick up a new hobby.** Pottery, gardening, painting, running, jigsaw puzzles, just think, anything that has nothing to do with being useful to anyone else. Do it because you want to.
7. **Read a new book.** Something you’ve been putting off, something a friend recommended, something completely out of your usual genre. Join a book club if you fancy the company or keep it just for you.
8. **Reconnect with someone.** A friend you’ve lost touch with or a colleague from years ago, a family member you keep meaning to call. A new season is a good excuse to close the gap.
9. **Get outside more often.** A new walking route, a Saturday morning group, ten minutes in the garden before the day starts. Small and regular beats big and occasional.
10. **Set yourself one small intention.** Not a resolution as such – that sounds too much like January, not a five-point plan, just one thing you’d like to feel, do, or change by the time the next season rolls around. Write it down somewhere you’ll see it.
Whatever you choose, you don’t have to do it alone. That’s what the Midlife360 community is here for — to connect, to grow, and to belong, together.
*Which one will you try first? We’d love to hear about it.*
